714 THE DOG. 



culated to excite our admiration. When he seizes a drown- 

 ing person, he endeavours to keep his head above the water, 

 and makes use of his own body for the purpose of buoy- 

 ing up the load. In the case of stranded vessels, he has 

 been again and again employed to carry a rope from the 

 shore to the vessel, or, if himself on board the sinking 

 ship, to convey a rope to the persons on the shore, evincing 

 by all his actions that he knows full well the service required 

 of him. Many years ago, a vessel was wrecked on the coast 

 of Norfolk, and all the crew perished. A Newfoundland dog 

 had been on board belonging to the captain. He had made 

 his way through the terrible breakers, and was observed to 

 have something in his mouth. This was a pocket-book, con- 

 taining the ship's papers and other documents. It is sup- 

 posed that the captain, faithful to his duty to the last, had 

 intrusted these documents to the fidelity of his dog. When 

 the dog reached the shore, he surrendered the pocket-book 

 to one of the people on the beach. Mr Bewick, who re- 

 lates the story, says that he afterwards assisted in bringing 

 parts of the wreck on shore ; others say that, on deposit- 

 ing his pocket-book, he fled, and was no more seen. Seve- 

 ral years ago, a steam-ship, crowded with passengers, was 

 run down in the Firth of Clyde by another vessel of the 

 same class coming in the opposite direction. Many of the 

 passengers were in the cabin, and were there drowned ; 

 others were on deck, of whom the greater number perished. 

 A Newfoundland dog, whose owner was never discovered, 

 but who was one of the sufferers, was observed to bring a 

 lady, who was struggling in the waves, to the shore. The 

 lady was carried insensible to a neighbouring house, followed 

 by the dog, and the usual means were resorted to for restor- 

 ing her. The dog was observed earnestly to watch the pro- 

 ceedings : the lady recovered, but some harsh words having 

 been ifsed by the people of the house to the noble dog, he 

 fled, and was no more seen ; and the lady endured the cruel 

 mortification of never beholding her preserver. A long time 



